When winter fades and the days are warm, a hot kitchen is the last place anyone wants to be. Rather, we take our cooking and eating outdoors, filling the air with savory smells and a relaxed atmosphere. There is something intrinsically enjoyable about going back to our roots and cooking with fire. There is nothing like walking by a home in the spring or summer and smelling the aroma of fresh meat and veggies on the grill. A lot of men have tried to become experts at stacking charcoal. In years past it was even debated at cook outs nation wide, what was the best way to stack the all important coals. Now there are gas grills everywhere, but there are still debates among male and female grillers alike about the supposedly new and improved gas grills. We now even have “Grill Masters” with their own televisions shows to showcase the wonderful world of outdoor cooking. You’ll truly enjoy exploring the many ways to cook outdoors.

Grilling: By far the most popular in our society, grilling uses dry heat to cook food by placing it on a wire grid over the heat source. As mentioned, there is often a debate regarding which type of grill is best, charcoal or gas. Aside from that, grilling is a very versatile way of outdoor cooking, allowing for charbroiling, griddling, searing, braising, and roasting.

Campfires: The oldest form of cooking is still a staple for campers. Many people do not like cooking over a campfire because it is easy to burn or undercook food. That problem can be resolved by raising a flat stone over the flames to distribute the heat more evenly. The most common methods of campfire cooking are as follows: boiling in pots and roasting on skewers or sticks. Roasting meat in this manner can provide juicier meat than grilling if some foil is placed under the meat to save the drippings. Those of you have experienced the wonders of camping as a child might want to try campfire grilling on a “stay-cation” in your back yard. This is a great way to save money and have great food and good clean fund outdoors.

Portable Stoves: These are lightweight stoves that are used for camping or in field and rescue operations. They use fuel such as kerosene, alcohol, or gas. Many environmentally conscious campers choose this method to avoid smoke pollution and fire scars on the earth. This is also a good idea for a stay at home vacation. This is a great way to be green with your vacation plans.

Dutch Ovens: These big cast iron pots have depressed lids in which hot coals are placed for cooking food. Heat from a fire underneath and the coals on top allow for even distribution of heat, turning the inside of the pot into an oven. They are used sometimes for large campouts. There are many types of Dutch ovens, though the most common for outdoor cooking are on three legs with a rimmed lid for coals. There are many places throughout the US that have Dutch oven cook-off’s and a plethora of recipes are available to show case your skills in this area. Dutch oven cooking is truly a fun way to enjoy cooking outdoors.

Cooking Pits: This ancient cooking method uses holes dug in the ground to bake, smoke, or steam food by trapping heat. Traditional pit cooking involves allowing a fire to burn down, placing food over it and covering it. This cooking is used in many festivals including Hawaiian luaus and the New England Clam Bake.
Earth or Brick Ovens- These wood fired ovens are gaining popularity in backyard cooking. They can be found made of virtually any earthen material from clay to sand. Earthen ovens use three types of heat collectively to cook food: radiant, conductive, and convection. The result is quickly cooked food with a crispy crust. To cook in one, you make a fire and let it burn down. The embers are swept out and the door shut to trap the heat in the masonry. When the door is opened, you can progressively cook foods that require high to low heat as the oven cools.

Whichever method you choose, safety precautions should always be taken. And most important, enjoy!